Origins of 12 Beloved Christmas Traditions
Reading Time: 11 minutes The true origins of Christmas traditions are ancient and complex. Winter traditions in Europe and the Mediterranean long predate modern Christmas practices such as ornaments, gift-giving, and caroling. As people throughout the world prepared for winter, they developed ways to bring light, food, and ritual to the darkest days of the year. Medieval historians and church leaders remarked that many seasonal practices were adapted rather than eliminated, allowing ancient beliefs to coexist with Christian observance. Across centuries, these customs evolved and blended with neighboring cultures, ultimately forming the traditions we know today.
Decorating an evergreen tree, singing carols, or leaving out treats on Christmas Eve may have many stories behind them, developed by faith, folklore, and survival. Some holiday customs might have pagan roots in festivals like Saturnalia or Yule, others may have grown from medieval church practices or community rituals. Each of these traditions reveals a unique moment in history when belief and culture intersected to create the holidays we know and celebrate—one part history, one part festivity.
Decorating the Christmas Tree
Decorating the Christmas tree is ultimately derived from ancient winter rites, such as the use of evergreen plants to remind people of the arrival of spring during the dark days of winter. Long before Christmas, it was a common tradition in Europe to bring evergreen branches into one’s home to cleanse it of evil spirits and to remind oneself that spring would return. By the late Middle Ages, Germans began decorating trees for church festivals. During Paradise Plays (German: Paradiesspiel), people would use an evergreen tree decorated with apples to symbolize the Garden of Eden. Eventually, the trees would start to be used at home.
The modern Christmas tree developed in early modern Germany. Here, candles, nuts, fruit, and other types of handmade decorations were attached to trees as symbols of light, good luck, and life. The Christmas tree and its decorations began to spread across the rest of Europe during the 19th century, when it became much more popular after Queen Victoria and Prince Albert were portrayed with one in 1848.
Santa Claus
Santa Claus traces his origins to the 4th-century Greek bishop, Saint Nicholas of Myra, in what is now Turkey. Nicholas was a legendary gift-giver, known for his generosity to the poor. One popular story is that he gave bags of gold through a window at night to three daughters of a poor man to keep them out of poverty and prostitution; it was a way for him to remain anonymous while helping people. Accounts from the Middle Ages described Nicholas as a protector of children and sailors. On the Feast Day of Saint Nicholas (December 6), it was customary to exchange gifts in several European countries. Stories of his life circulated widely, combining elements of popular devotion and folk tales.
Versions of Saint Nicholas moved throughout Europe, the Netherlands, and North America. In the Netherlands, he became Sinterklaas. This figure was brought to North America by Dutch settlers, where, through assimilation with English and German traditions and persons, he eventually became the Santa Claus of today, depicted as a jolly man in a red suit with white fur trim who flies from the North Pole and brings toys to children on Christmas Eve. Clement Clarke Moore’s 1823 poem A Visit from St. Nicholas and 19th-century pictorials established the image of Santa Claus as it is widely known today, replacing the image of a saintly bishop with one of universal holiday goodwill and generosity.
Christmas Caroling
The tradition of Christmas caroling can be traced back to communal singing associated with ancient winter festivals and rituals. Long before the advent of Christmas hymns, Europeans would gather during the winter to sing songs meant to bring good luck and ward off darkness. In medieval England, this practice became known as “wassailing,” with groups traveling from home to home, singing in exchange for food and drink. Early carols were not confined to churches; they were often robust, rhythmic songs intended for streets, taverns, and public celebrations.
By the late Middle Ages, the tradition of Christmas carols began to align more directly with the Christian celebration of Christ’s birth. The practice of using song to retell the story of the Nativity was popularized by figures such as Saint Francis of Assisi, who encouraged joyful singing as an expression of faith. This helped to spread the tradition of carols throughout Europe. Many familiar carols were composed or adapted during the 18th and 19th centuries, a period that saw the crystallization of many Christmas customs and songs.
Exchanging Gifts
Gift-giving as a Christmas tradition has multiple roots, including religious and secular antecedents. In Christianity, gift-giving is associated with the Magi, who, according to the Gospel of Matthew, brought gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to Jesus after his birth. In the medieval period, Christians also associated the custom with St. Nicholas and the stories of how he would sneak gifts to the poor. These stories, spread around Europe, redefined gift-giving as an act of charity, kindness, and spirituality.
Older still, in Ancient Rome, Romans exchanged small gifts during Saturnalia, a midwinter festival of feasting. These were usually small, such as wax candles and small figurines, but were used to convey goodwill. In the post-classical period, church authorities often tolerated existing customs, slowly adapting them to Christian practice. In the centuries that followed, these traditions blended into the practice of gift-giving.
Eggnog
Eggnog originated in medieval Europe, when a hot, spiced, ale-based beverage called posset was popular among the affluent during winter. Posset was a combination of milk, eggs, and ale or wine, which were thought to be nutritious and restorative. Because milk and eggs were expensive, they also signified prosperity and festivity. By the 17th century, ale had been replaced by spirits such as brandy or sherry, making the drink both richer and more boisterous, and a holiday-associated beverage.
European settlers brought the drink to the American colonies, where rum was widely available and inexpensive. Eggnog became a common feature of Christmas celebrations, particularly in colder regions. George Washington is said to have served guests a strong version of the drink, and over time, it became a symbol of holiday indulgence and hospitality and a favorite Christmas tradition.
Feast of the Seven Fishes
The Feast of the Seven Fishes has a long history. It began as a Christmas Eve tradition of Italian Catholics, who followed the Catholic Church‘s centuries-old custom of fasting from meat on holy days like the Vigil of Christmas. Fish replaced meat, especially in coastal areas or further south, where fresh fish would have been more plentiful. The number of dishes would vary from family to family or from town to town, but the focus was always on largesse and ritual in celebration and preparation for the birth of Christ.
The reasons for the number seven remain the subject of speculation and debate, with explanations ranging from references to the seven sacraments and the seven days of Creation. The feast, as we know it today, became popular among Italian immigrants in the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Passed down through generations by gathering together and oral tradition, the Feast of the Seven Fishes continues to be a heartfelt celebration of faith, family, and culture during the Christmas season.
Hanging Stockings
One of the most common Christmas traditions, hanging stockings, is attributed to various stories about Saint Nicholas. A widely circulated medieval tale tells of Nicholas secretly providing dowries for a poor man’s three daughters by dropping bags of gold down the family’s chimney. The bags, it is said, landed in stockings that had been hung by the fire to dry. The legend became one of the most famous of the saints and has been associated with footwear, gifts, and secrecy during the Christmas holiday.
Spread across Europe, the story has been embellished over the centuries, and children have long been hanging stockings or shoes by the fireplace in hopes that Saint Nicholas or Santa Claus will leave them filled with small gifts, fruit, or sweets the next morning. In the 19th century, the tradition had become established in both Britain and North America as a typical Christmas practice.
Nativity Scenes
Nativity scenes are believed to have originated in 13th-century Italy and are most associated with Saint Francis of Assisi. Francis, in 1223, directed a live re-enactment of the birth of Christ in the town of Greccio using human actors and live animals to give worshippers a “view” of the narrative told in the Gospels. In the earliest accounts of the event, it is recorded that Francis had a strong desire to make the Nativity “visible to the eye,” in a manner that would connect the hearts of ordinary people to the simplicity of Christ’s birth.
Word spread quickly throughout Europe, with the scene depicted at first by live persons, then in carved figures, paintings, and ultimately in miniature form. Churches and monasteries used nativity scenes for teaching, in a period when many could not read. Nativity sets were brought into private homes by the early modern period as a central part of Christmas devotion.
Yule Log
The Yule log tradition has its roots in ancient winter solstice celebrations throughout Northern Europe, long before the advent of Christianity. Germanic and Celtic peoples would burn a large log during the darkest days of the year as a tribute to the sun, in the hope that it would return. The fire was thought to have protective powers, driving away evil spirits and bringing protection, warmth, and good luck to the household. Sometimes the embers would be saved and used as a charm in the coming year.
The Yule log was not dispensed with as a result of the spread of Christianity. In the Middle Ages, it was common for European families to light a Yule log on Christmas Eve, often accompanied by a prayer or a carol. As living arrangements and customs have evolved over the centuries, the Yule log has taken different forms, eventually inspiring the elaborately decorated Yule log cakes that are now made. The tradition has remained as a symbol of light, continuity, and renewal during the holiday season.
Mistletoe Kissing
Kissing under mistletoe predates the plant’s association with Christmas by many centuries. The Druids viewed mistletoe as a sacred plant with protective and healing powers, and the Norse myth of the death and resurrection of the god Baldr connected mistletoe to love and reconciliation. These old associations link mistletoe to fertility and themes of peace and renewal during the winter months.
In England, by the 18th century, kissing under mistletoe was already a traditional holiday practice. At social gatherings, a sprig of mistletoe was hung in a doorway. With each berry plucked, the mistletoe bearer was granted a kiss from someone under the bough. In addition to the kissing, a person trying to avoid being kissed under the mistletoe would be considered to bring bad luck. Mistletoe eventually developed into a secular symbol of romance and good cheer.
Advent Calendars
The Advent calendar originated in Germany in the 19th century. Families would count the days to Christmas with simple visual cues. Some lit a candle each evening, while others made chalk marks on their doors or hung devotional pictures. By the late 1800s, printed calendars appeared, with Bible verses or small illustrations to help focus the spiritual discipline of Advent: the four weeks of preparation for Christmas.
The modern Advent calendar was popularized in the early 20th century by the German printer Gerhard Lang. After World War II, Advent calendars spread throughout Europe and North America. Their messages shifted from spiritual discipline to chocolates, toys, and surprises. Today, Advent calendars are a mix of faith, anticipation, and festivity, turning the countdown to the big day into a daily Christmas tradition for children and adults.
Midnight Mass
Midnight Mass represents one of the oldest Christmas traditions. Dating back to the early centuries of Christianity, Midnight Mass was intended to celebrate the birth of Christ at the very moment when a new day dawns. By the 4th century, churches in Rome and Jerusalem were celebrating late-night vigils on December 24th, to usher in the Feast of Christmas. Prayer, Scripture readings, and hymns were all offered in anticipation of the following day’s solemnities.
In Medieval times, Midnight Mass was often described in light of the Christian belief that Christ was born “in the fullness of time”. Writers of the time depicted churches filled with the light of thousands of candles burning through the night. In contrast, “the new day’s dawn hovers in the skies as the old night steals away.” Midnight Mass often took place in silence, with just a single candle lighting the service, as the faithful prepared for the coming of the “Saviour of the World.”
In Medieval times, Midnight Mass became an increasingly dramatic ritual among Catholic and Orthodox communities. For many people, it became the most essential service of the year. The use of bells, incense, and choral music enhanced the drama of the Nativity. Attendance at Midnight Mass often became a measure of one’s devotion and a symbol of the unity of the faithful. The tradition remains strong today, although services are frequently scheduled earlier in the evening for practical reasons. Midnight Mass endures as a special link between the devotional, the symbolic, and the power of community in the welcoming of Christmas.
The Enduring Power of Christmas Traditions
Christmas traditions are more than just activities we do each year. They are also a reflection of centuries of shared belief, story, and community. Many of our Christmas traditions have been passed down from generations before us, when there were no electric lights and when gifts were unwrapped at Christmas. Christmas traditions are often steeped in religious devotion, seasonal celebrations, or family rituals passed carefully from one generation to the next. The historian Bede once said that “traditions will last as long as they are worth the time”. Christmas traditions quietly tell us each year that the season is really about connection, memory, and hope.
Tracing the history of Christmas traditions also reminds us of their adaptability and resilience. Many were based on pagan winter rituals, medieval church practices, or local folk customs, which all combined to form the Christmas we recognise today. By recalling the origins of Christmas traditions, we can better understand why they still matter, and how they continue to offer comfort, continuity, and shared joy in our changing world.
